Pepper
by BreakBeauty
Summary: This story is about my own Jellicle, Pepper. She's the daughter of Munkustrap and Demeter, and sister to Jemima. I haven't really had many ideas on where to take it, so if anyone has any suggestions, please review: Rated T just to be safe.
1. Humans, Pollicles, and Rain, Oh My!

Disclaimer: I don't own _Cats_ and I never will. I don't own any of the characters except one, literally! :D Pepper is my real-life cat. She's amazin:]

Ch 1: Humans, Pollicles, and Rain, Oh My!

"Pepper? Pepper, where are you, little neko," my human called quietly. It was midnight, and that was her curfew. _Thank Heaviside._ "There you are! Come here, cat," she said affectionately. _Sigh, sorry Ryann, not tonight._ I walked up to her, and rubbed against her leg. She rubbed behind my ears, and I purred. When she went to pick me up, I darted away. "Sigh, alright Pepper. Have fun wherever it is that you're going." If only she knew how much fun I would be having. Heh. As I ran to the Junkyard, my bell tinkled quietly, and I smiled. I loved that bell. Whilst running through the streets, I was chased by a Pollicle. _Oh, Heaviside!_ I ran away as the slobbering, barking beast chased after me. I darted back and forth across the alley, and finally hid behind a dumpster. _Everlasting Cat, how I hate Pollicles!_ Well, I take that back. One of my closest friends is a Pollicle. She's my human's sister's pet, and she's actually very nice, if a little stupid. Her name's Penny. Original, right? Well, anyway, I sat behind the dumpster, panting.

"Here, kitty! Come out and play! I won't 'urt you, I promise," the Pollicle said nastily. I jumped out of my hiding spot and slashed his snout open. "Ow, that 'urt you mangy cat!" _Who's he calling mangy?_ At that, I pounced on him, slashing at his face and hissing. By the time I was done, the Pollicle beast was skittering away, whimpering. _Serves you right, jerk._ I flitted away, continuing my journey to the Junkyard.

Right as I got to the Junkyard entrance, it started to rain. _Could this evening get any worse?_ I jumped over the fence, startling Alonzo who was laying inside a microwave on patrols. I ran to the den my parents, sister, and I shared when we weren't with our respective human families. "Hey, guys!" I said as I scampered into the den.

"Goodness, Pepper, you're soaked!" my mother exclaimed.

"No, really Demeter? She looks like she just walked under a hair dryer," the ever sarcastic Bombalurina said. My mother shot her a death glare.

"Hey, Pepps!" Jemima squealed. I love my little sister.

"Hey Jem! How are you today?" I said. I didn't hug her, because I didn't want to get her wet.

"I'm good. Look what my human gave me!" she scampered off to her room and brought back a little purple, fuzzy toy mouse. "It's catnip flavored!" she squealed. Ah, good ole' catnip. All the other kittens are wild for it, but I myself could live without it.

"Wow, Jem! That's cool!" I said, happy for her. She ran off to go hide her treasure. I laughed.

My dad stalked into the den, soaked. "Wow, dad, you're wetter than I am!" I said. He laughed.

"Well, I had to go on my nightly rounds. I am the Protector of the Tribe," he said.

"Hey, Munkustrap," Aunt Bomba said.

"Hello Bombalurina," he replied politely.

"Munku, I have dinner ready," my mom said, rubbing her head to his. It's cute how she'll still do that even though he's soaking wet.

"Thank you, darling," he said smiling and kissed her. _Ah, love. Maybe I'll find that some day._

"Bomba, you're welcome to stay for dinner and avoid the rain," Mom offered.

"Thanks, Demi, but I have kits and a mate to get back to." She hugged my mom, and left out into the rain. It was odd, Bombalurina finally having settled down. She and my uncle, Tugger, were mates. My cousins were Victoria and Admetus. Vicky was nice, but a little self absorbed, and Addie, well, he's just quiet. After dinner, which consisted of some mice she and Jem had hunted today, the rain finally subsided. Jem and I went out to play.


	2. Friends

[A/N:] Thank you to jelliclesoul635, my first and only reviewer! :D

Ch 2: Friends

When Jem and I got outside, I was tackled by an unknown mass of brown fur.

"Pepper! Long time no see, buddy!" Electra shouted.

"Hmm Mm-mm!" I mumbled, my face being smashed into the ground.

"What was that? Oh!" she said, realizing why she couldn't understand me. She hopped off, and I shot up.

"Ow," I said, rubbing my nose. "What I said was, Hey Lecty!"

"Oh! Well, hi! Anyway, how've you been?" she asked, excited.

"I've been pretty good, you?" I replied. Electra was one of my two closest friends in the whole Junkyard.

"I've been fantastic!" she said happily.

"Hey guys, wanna go play Den with everyone?" Jem piped up.

"Sure! That sounds fun!" Lecty and I said together.

We padded over to where all the kittens were. "Hey guys!" Electra shouted.

"Hey!" everyone replied.

"Do you guys wanna play Den?" Jemima asked.

"Sure! I wanna be the mom!" Etcy shouted.

"Well then, who's the dad gonna be?" Lecty asked her sister.

"Uh, Tugger, duh!" Etcy said, very matter-of-factly might I add. Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed.

"I vote Pepper is the mom this time!" Jem squeaked.

"Eh, okay?" I said.

"I'll be the dad!" Tumblebrutus shouted. I laughed. Brutus was mine and Lecty's other best friend.

"Nah, I think I like Cartwheel Antony better," I said with a smile. He laughed.

"You're such a dork," he replied. We played Den, with me and Brutus as the parents, Plato and Electra as the Aunt and Uncle, Misto and Jem as mine and Brutus's kits, and Etcy and Pouncival as Plato and Lecty's kits. Vicky and Addie weren't around.

The game ended abruptly when Brutus and Plato got into a wrestling match. All of us being young and excitable, we wanted to watch. My father, seeing the fighting kits, came and pulled them off each other.

"What is all this fighting?" he boomed. Brutus and Plato hung their heads, tucked their tails, and their ears drooped in embarrassment.

"N-nothing, Mister Munkustrap, sir. It was just for fun…" Brutus said quietly. Plato just nodded.

"Oh, well okay then. Presume, boys," he said with a smile. "Just make sure no one gets hurt." He padded away.

"Gosh, Jem and Pepper, your dad is scary sometimes," Plato said. Tumblebrutus agreed.

Victoria and Admetus walked over. "Hey cousins!" I shouted.

Admetus merely waved, whilst Vicky came up and hugged Jem and me. "Hey guys!" she said.

"Let's play Truth or Dare!" Etcy shouted.

"Okay!" we all shouted in agreement.

"I wanna go first!" Lecty said. "Hmm, Etcy, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Etcy said.

"If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?" Lecty asked.

"Um, I'd wanna be Tugger's mate," she said. This earned her sighs and rolled eyes from the rest of the group, particularly my cousins. "My turn! Plato, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied.

"I dare you to kiss… Vicky!" she shouted.

"Alrighty." Plato nonchalantly got up, walked over to Vicky, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. He smirked when she blushed, and he strode back to his spot. "Pepper, truth or dare?"

Now me, I've always been a bit of a risk taker. "Dare," I said.

"I dare you to steal Mom's collar. You have to do it by tomorrow night, and bring it back to me for proof," he said. _Ah, crap. Thieving the thieves…_

"No problem. Brutus, truth or dare?" I asked.

"Truth," he said.

"Hmm… Who do you like?" I asked.

"Tumblebrutus, Pouncival, time to come home!" Cassandra shouted.

"Oh, darn. I really wanted to tell all of you, too!" Brutus laughed. He and his brother scampered back to their parents den, which was an old dishwasher. Cassandra was mated with Asparagus, who was Jellylorum's brother. Their father was Gus, the Theatre Cat.

"Pepper, Jemima, you too!" Mom shouted.

"Bye guys!" Jemima and I said. We walked back to our parents' den, which was an old oven.

"Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad!" I said as I walked through the hole which served as our front door.

"Hello, girls. Did you have fun?" Dad asked.

"Yeah! We played Den, and then we played Truth or Dare!" Jemima said.

"Well, I'm glad you all had fun," Mom laughed.

[A/N:] There's an allusion to a Shakespeare play in this chapter. If you find it, send me a message:D It shouldn't be too hard for anyone who's read the play or heard the story [it's based on actual historic events].


	3. Hunting and a Truth or Dare Continuation

Ch 3: Hunting and a Truth or Dare Continuation

[A/N:] I'm going to attempt a Cockney accent in this chapter. I'll probably fail at it, but I'm going to try.

I was back at my human home for the day. It was a Saturday, and her tom-friend was working. He was nice. Joey, that's his name.

I heard a scuttling sound in the closet where my dry cat-food and Penny's dry dog-food are kept. _There's a mouse in there!_ I decided to catch it. I scratched on the door to the closet and meowed my loudest, so the humans would let me in.

[A/N: Pepper actually can't really meow very loudly. We think something's wrong with her vocal chords, because she's never been able to. Well, I don't think so anyway. Oh, and this part is based on a true story.]

My human came and let me into the closet. I sniffed around cautiously. _I can smell you, little mouse! I'm gonna get you!_ I saw a flash of tan run under the hot water heater. _Oh, Everlasting Cat! I'm never gonna get it out of there!_ I accepted defeat and stalked out.

[A/N: Just so you know, Pepper never found the mouse. She had a close encounter with it once, but it's dead now. It decided to hide in our vacuum cleaner, and one day when my dad was vacuuming, the belt started to smoke. He took some parts off the vacuum, and he found a freshly killed mouse, bloody and a little burned, stuck in the roller. R.I.P. Mouse]

I decided to go outside to hunt instead. I'd just kill Ryann's sister's bird, but he's like my cousin. I jumped through the pet door and went into predator mode. [A/N: I was reading that part out loud and Pepper looked at me like "Really? You suck." Hahaha.] I spotted my prey: a little sparrow hopping on the ground. I crept over as quietly as I could, even with the bell, and pounced. I felt the small, inferior creature squirming under my paws, and I meowed triumphantly. I hid my trophy, and strutted inside.

Later on, at midnight, my human was getting dropped off at the house. I crept silently away to go visit the Junkyard. I made it safe, no Pollicles or rain.

"Pepper!" Electra and Tumblebrutus shouted simultaneously, before dog-piling me.

"Hey guys!" I said, smothered. "Could ya get off now?"

"Yeah," they replied.

"So what did you guys do today?" I asked. They didn't have humans to take care of, so they got to play in the Junkyard all day.

"Well, we went hunting, and Bustopher Jones came by the Yard. That's all, really," Lecty said. Bustopher Jones was the father of Alonzo and Mistofelees. No one knows who their mom is though.

"Oh. Sounds like fun. I killed a sparrow," I said. I went to my parents den, and only my mother was around. "Hey, Mom!" I shouted.

"Hello, dear! How are you?" she asked.

"I'm good, you?" I replied.

"I'm pretty dandy myself," she said with a smile. After a bit more conversation, Jem and I decided to go start a game of Freeze Tag with the other kits.

"Here's how we're gonna do this: Jem and Misto will be team captains. After the teams are picked, we'll decide who's It first. Whichever team is It has to go around and tag the other team, and whoever gets tagged has to freeze in place. They're frozen until either another member of their team comes to tag them or all of their team is frozen, in which case that team becomes It. Everyone understand?" I shout like a football coach.

"Got it!" was everyone's simultaneous reply. Okay, maybe not everyone said got it, but it was some variation of the phrase.

The teams ended up being Jemima, Plato, Etcetera, Tumblebrutus, and Admetus versus Mistofelees, Electra, Pouncival, Victoria, and me. We were It first. Electra was the fastest runner on our team, and Admetus was the fastest on the opposing side, so she of course went after Addie. Vicky has a major crush on Plato, so she chased him around the playing field, but couldn't catch him. Misto went after Etcy, and Pouncival went after Jem. Lecty saw Victoria lagging behind Plato, so she tagged him. I was left chasing Brutus, who is faster than me. Somehow, I managed to catch him, and thus they were It. We played Freeze Tag for a little while, but everyone got bored.

"I vote we finish our game of Truth or Dare," Pouncival said.

"Agreed," was everyone's answer. We sat in a circle.

"So, Brutus, about your question…" I said, with a fake evil grin on my face.

"Can I change to dare?" he asked, nervous.

"Sigh, fine. I dare you to… OH SHOOT!" I said, bounding off. _Crap! I forgot to steal Rumpleteazer's collar!_ I ran to an overturned laundry basket and crept inside. Rumpleteazer was sleeping with her mate, Mungojerrie, on a pile of old towels. I crept over and gently slid the collar off her neck. I had almost made it out, when my bell woke her up.

"PEPPAH! YOU GE' BACK 'ERE WIV MOI COLLA' THIS INSTAN' OR I'LL 'AVE YA 'EAD!" she screamed. Mungojerrie simply rolled over and snored lightly. I ran out of the basket, and over to the Truth or Dare circle. I sprinted straight into Plato.

"Here's your proof! I gotta run before she kills me!" I said, dashing away. I made a full circle back to their den and tossed her collar onto their bed. "Here, sorry, but it was a dare!" I said as I sped away. When I got back to the circle, they had continued the game. "Sorry, I had to complete my dare from yesterday," I panted.

"Well, you're in luck, because it's your turn," Lecty said evilly. _Oh, shoot. She always makes it good…_

"Um, truth I suppose," I said. I didn't feel like doing a dare.

"Hmm, we'll go with the question you asked Brutes. Who do you like?" she asked.

"Erm, well, I haven't really thought about it…" I said truthfully. I really hadn't ever thought about which tom[s] I like.

"Well, I can tell you're not lying. Your turn," she said.

"Um, Addie, truth or dare?" I asked.

"I'm an observer. Count me out," he said quietly.

"Sigh, alright. Pouncival, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he said, smirking.

"I'm gonna wipe that smirk right off your face. I dare you to kiss Bombalurina on the mouth, in front of Tugger. Right now." I said, smiling wickedly.

"Aw, can't it be something where I won't die?" he pleaded.

"Nope, it sure can't," I said. He sighed and got up. He padded nervously over to the big tire where my parents, Tugger and Bomba were seated. He jumped up, pecked Aunt Bomba really fast on the lips, and ran back to the circle.

Tugger and Bomba started laughing. The adult cats were smarter than Pouncival. They could see us playing Truth or Dare.

"See, I wasn't gonna kill ya, Pouncie," I said, smirking.

"I hate you," he said, jokingly.

The rest of the truths and dares were somewhat uninteresting. Until, that is, it came to be Brutus's turn.

"Pepper, truth or dare?" he asked.

"Dare," I responded.

"I dare you to… kiss Misto," he said. _No problem._

I strutted over to Mistofelees and gave him a quick kiss. As I walked away, I brushed his nose with my tail. The kits on either side of him, Pounce and Plato, were snickering. I looked back, and his face was bright pink under is fur.

"Plato, truth or dare?" I asked.

"Truth," he said.

"If you could have any queen in the whole Yard as your queen-friend, who would you pick?" I asked.

"Well, uh, erm," he said, nervously. Victoria looked like she was gonna explode. "I don't know…" he finally said after about thirty seconds of "Uhs" and "Erms".

"Plato, toime to come 'ome!" Mungojerrie called. Plato was the single son of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, the notorious couple of cats.

"See you all later!" he said. It was a bit surprising that he didn't have an accent, but I guess growing up around a bunch of other kits that don't can rub off.

"Sigh. I really had hoped he was going to say me…" Vicky said sadly.

"We know, Vic. We know," Lecty said.

"Pepper, Jemima, time to come home! Victoria and Admetus come too," Dad shouted.

"Bye guys!" we four shouted before padding to the den.

"Your mother and father are going out tonight, so they've asked us to watch you," my mother explained to Vicky and Addie.

That was a fun night. All of the kits in the den played tag, much to the annoyance of my parents.

[A/N:] I would like some suggestions on where to take it from here:D


	4. Discoveries and Decisions

[A/N:] I realized that I hadn't yet described Pepper's appearance. My picture is Pepper, but you can't see her eyes. They're a really pretty green color. :]

Ch 4: Discoveries and Decisions

When I got back to my human home, I found my human and her family all rushing about, putting clothes, toiletries, and random other commodities in bags. _What on earth are they doing? _ When the mad rush of packing was over, my human came and picked me up.

"Bye, Pepper! I loves you little one! We'll be back in about a week," she said, hugging me and stroking my head. _They're going on vacation!_ I jumped out of her arms and ran underneath the bushes.

"Bye, guys!" my human's father called as they walked out the front door. I like her father. Ryann's sister's pets seemed sad that she was leaving. After they left, I made a mad dash for the Junkyard. _A week in the Junkyard! Yes!_

"Hey everyone!" I called.

"Hello, Pepper! What brings you here during the daytime?" Jellylorum asked me.

"Well, my human and her family are leaving for a week on vacation," I answered happily.

"Oh, well that's good. Sorry to be brief, but I have things to attend to," she said as she stalked off toward Etcetera, who was clutching Tugger's leg and squealing. _Etcy, Etcy, always with the Tugger nonsense._ I saw Lecty walking out of her parents' den, and I decided to surprise her. I crept up behind her and pounced, tackling her.

"Hey Pepper!" she said. I, unlike my tacklers, make sure my victim's face isn't smashed to the ground.

"Hey Lecty!" I replied. "Whatcha doin?"

"Oh, just goin to see Brutus. Wanna come?" she replied.

"Sure!" and we were off to see the completing factor in our trio.

"Hey, Pepper! Hey, Lecty!" he said from Pouncival's favorite haunt, the chair on top of the junk pile. He jumped down and waved goodbye to his younger, but only by three minutes, brother. We padded to our trio's favorite spot, a pond just outside the Junkyard.

"So, guys, the Jellicle Ball is coming up soon. Any idea who you want to go with?" Electra asked.

"Well, yeah, but I don't think she likes me enough to go with me," Brutus said sadly.

"Lecty and I could ask for you, Brutus." I said, wanting to help my friend.

"Yeah, we'd set you up with her," Lecty added, smiling.

"You'd do that for me?" he asked, his eyes brightening.

"Of course we would! We're your best friends!" we said simultaneously.

"It's too bad we can't choose mates yet," Lecty sighed. She had her eyes on my cousin Admetus, but Brutus and I were the only ones who knew.

"I'm actually glad. I have no idea who I'd like as a mate," I said. It was true. I had always been more concerned with just having fun and living life.

"Well, the queen I like doesn't like me at all… At least I don't think she does," Brutus stated.

"Who is it?" I asked, curious.

"Promise you won't laugh?" he said.

"We promise," Lecty and I said together.

"It's Etcy…" he said. _Etcy? Wow! This might be difficult…_

"You like Etcy? Hyperactive, Tugger-obsessing Etcetera?" Lecty asked, in disbelief.

"Well, yeah…" Brutus replied softly.

"We have our work cut out for us, Lecty! Let's get moving," I said. "Bye, Brutus." I smiled and hugged my friend.

"Bye guys," he said. He went back to hang with Pouncival, who had been joined by Plato. Surprisingly, Addie was there, too.

Lecty and I didn't have to search long to find Etcy. She, Vicky, and Jem were sitting by the big tire, sunning. "Hey, Etcy, can we talk to you for a moment?" Lecty said to her sister.

"Um, sure. Excuse me, guys," Etcy said to Vic and Jem. She padded over to us. "What's up?"

"Well, we know of a tom who likes you," I said.

"Really? Who?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Well, he's a funny tom," I said.

"And he's smart," Lecty added.

"And some queens would say he's cute," I put in.

"And most would say he's sweet," Lecty finished.

"Any guesses?" I asked.

"TUGGER!" Etcy shouted.

"No, Etcetera. Tugger is not an option. Any other guesses?" Electra said.

"Um…. Nope," she said.

"Okay, well who, besides Tugger, do you like?" I asked.

"Well, I kind of like Pounce, and I like Misto a little, and I don't really know Plato that well, and Tumblebrutus I like some, and that's it other than Tugger," she said. _Sigh. A true, devoted fangirl…_

"Well, one of the toms on that list likes you. Think about it, if we're the ones asking about it, then who's the most likely tom?" Lecty said.

"Um… Oh, I know! Mistofelees!" she shouted. Sometimes, Etcetera can be just a _little_ bit dense…

"Try again," Lecty and I said together.

"Oh! I'm an idiot! It's Tumble, isn't it?" she said, smacking herself in the face.

"Yes," we sighed.

"Well, I like him too," Etcy said, somewhat softly.

"Great! Well, bye!" I said, and Electra and I padded back to find Brutes.

"Brutus! Come down!" I shouted. He hopped down and we went back to our favorite place.

"So, does she like me?" he asked quietly.

"Well, I don't know how to tell you this…" Lectra said, faking disappointment. His eyes darkened and his ears drooped, waiting for the bad news. "But, SHE LIKES YOU!"

He almost exploded. He ran around the pond a couple of times, saying incoherent phrases. If I hadn't known better, I'd have sworn he was on catnip. Pure, unaltered, catnip.

"Calm down, Brutes! You still have to ask her to the Ball." I said.

"Oh, right… I think I'll go do that now…" he said, and he padded off toward the Junkyard.

"Well, that went well," Lecty said. I laughed.

[later that day]

I saw Addie sitting on the old car, alone. I decided to go talk to my cousin.

"Hey, Admetus," I said as I jumped onto the car.

"Hey, Pepper," he replied.

"Whatcha doin?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just watching everyone," he replied.

"Sounds interesting," I said. "So, the Jellicle Ball is coming up soon."

"Yeah," he said.

"You thought about who you want to go with?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, but I'm too shy to ask her, and I don't think she even knows I exist…" he said, somberly.

"Well, maybe I could help?" I said, smiling.

"You probably could… Does she like me?" he asked hopefully. _Am I supposed to know who it—oh, der! Electra!_

"If it's Electra you're talking about, then yes, she does," I replied happily.

"Really?" he asked, almost losing his quiet, shy appearance.

"Yeah! She wants to go to the ball with you!" I said.

"Oh, thanks so much, Pepper!" he said, and he gave me a hug. He ran off, to go find Lecty, I assumed. _Could today get much better?_ I asked myself.

I was sitting on the old car, just enjoying the afternoon, when Jemima walked up.

"Hey, Pepps," she said quietly.

"Hey, Jem!" I said.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked, quietly. She jumped up on the car and took a seat.

"Sure, sis," I said, curiously.

"How do you know when someone likes you?" she asked.

"Well, Jem, I don't really know. I don't know if anyone's ever liked me," I replied.

"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, and if they have, they've never told me," I replied.

"Well, I know of a couple toms who like you…" she said quietly.

"Really? Who?" I asked.

"You help me and I'll help you," she bargained.

"Alrighty. Who is it that you want to know if they like you?" I asked.

"It's Pouncival… He's always been one of my best friends, besides you and Vicky, but I can't tell if he likes me. He seems to like flirting with me, but I just don't know…" she said.

"Well, think about it, does he flirt with you quite a bit?" I asked.

"Well, yeah…" she replied.

"Does he seem nervous when you two are alone?" I asked.

"Well, yeah…" she replied again.

"Does he blush when you two touch each other in really any way, shape, or form?"

"Well, yeah…"

"I do believe you have your answer, Jem." I said, smiling.

"Oh! And to give you yours, it's Misto and Plato, but Plato likes you more," she said before scampering off. _Mistofelees and Plato?! Oh, Heaviside…_ Victoria liked both of them, but she liked Plato a lot more. _What in the name of Everlasting Cat am I to do? Vicky likes them, and I don't even know if I do at all. Maybe I'll just keep this a secret, and only Jem and I, and maybe Lecty and Brutus, and of course Misto and Plato, will know. Sigh, that's almost all the kittens, with the exception of Addie, Etcy, Vicky, and Pouncival. What's a queen to do? I could…_

I was broken from my thought process by a cat jumping onto the old car. _Please, please don't be Victoria!_ I looked over at the other cat and sighed in relief. It wasn't Victoria, but Pouncival.

"Hey, Pounce," I said.

"Hey! Can I ask you something kind of personal?" he asked, quietly. _Why does every kitten come to me about their problems? Do they think I have the answer to everything?_ Well, I guess I can't complain. I did seem to have a way to solve everyone else's problems, I just could never figure out my own.

"Sure," I said.

"Well, I like a queen, and I don't know how to tell her. I want to ask her to the Ball, but I'm too scared she'll say no…" he said quietly.

"I'm going to take a stab at this, and guess it's Jemima." I said.

"How did you know?" he asked, bewildered.

"She asked me how to tell if you liked her. Anyways, seeing as you now know she likes you, just ask her," I said.

"Oh, wow! Thanks!" he said and bounded away. _I bet I'm going to end up being the next Jennyanydots… _I sighed. It's not that I didn't like the matronly cat, I just didn't want to be forever the one everyone went to for a problem solution. _Now to focus on my problem…_

I sat on the old car for a couple more hours until it got dark. I decided to go to my human home, away from distractions.

"Bye everyone! I'll be back tomorrow!" I shouted as I padded out the gate. It started to rain again when I was halfway home. _Stupid rain…_

When I jumped through the pet door, Penny, the Pollicle, came to greet me.

"Hi, Pepper! How are you?" she barked.

"I'm just dandy, Penny." I said, sarcastically. She should have been able to tell that I was miserable. I was soaked to the core, I was cold, and I was still wondering what to do about Misto and Plato.

"Oh, well that's good! I'm doing pretty good myself," she said, wagging her tail and beating it on the computer desk. _You can be so dense, sometimes…_

"Penny, I need to ask you something. What do you do when a friend has a crush on someone, who just happens to like you, but you don't even know if you like them back, but even if you did, you don't want to hurt your friend?" I asked her.

"Well, I know this is kind of an obvious answer, but just follow your heart. If your friend truly cares about you, then they'll understand that it wasn't meant to be with the one who they liked. Make sense?" she replied. _Wow, that was really deep for a Pollicle._

"Yeah, thanks, Penny," I said. I rubbed up against her, showing my gratitude. She muttered "Erm, well, this is awkward," before walking away. That made me laugh.

"SCREAM! SCREAM!" came the annoying screech of Penny's "brother", Jason the bird.

"Will you shut up?" I called to him.

"No, I will not. I'm scared of the storm and I miss my human," he grumbled.

"We're all frightened of the storm, and the humans will be back in a few days, you idiot," I snapped. That bird really gets on my nerves sometimes.

"Whatever," he muttered before flying off into the living room. _I live with the weirdest animals on the planet._ I jumped onto the counter where my cat-food bowl is kept, and I ate some of it.

[A/N:] We actually do keep the cat food on the counter, because if it was on the floor, Penny would eat it. And Jason really does scream. A lot. So, yeah. This is based on mostly true things, and how I think the pets react with each other. Pepper really does do that to Penny, though. It's kinda funny to watch. :]

And thus, I curled up on a pile of papers sitting on the dining table and went to sleep. I love to baffle the humans with how odd my bedding choices are. _At least I don't have to worry about Misto and Plato when I'm here…_


	5. A Day With Family & Friends

A/N: Thank you to .Xx, my consistent reviewer! :]

Ch 5: A Day With Family & an Evening With a Friend

When I padded back to the Junkyard the next day, I was greeted by Vicky.

"Hey, cous! How are you?!" she asked.

"Oh, I'm alright. You?" I replied.

"Well, I could be better…" she said. "I'm having no luck with Plato." _I gotta just tell her…_

"I think I know why, Vicky. I'm sorry, but Jem told me yesterday that Misto and Plato like me, but Plato likes me more out of the two…" I said, desperately hoping she wouldn't flip out.

"Oh… Well, I guess if he likes you…" she said quietly.

"Vicky, I'm sorry. I don't even know if I like him. If you want, I can talk to him and see if he likes you at all…" I said.

"No, that's okay. I'll find someone. Let's talk about something else," she replied.

"Okay," I replied. We talked about the previous year's Ball, and how everyone danced so well. We were only allowed to watch because we were too young. _I wish I could dance… I have almost no skills whatsoever… Hey! Vicky could teach me!_ "Hey, Vicky, I need a favor," I said.

"Sure, cousin, what do ya need?" she asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you could teach me to dance. You're the best dancer in the Junkyard, and I'm probably the worst…" I replied.

"Of course, Pepper! I'd be delighted to!" she squealed.

We padded over to an empty corner of the Junkyard, and my lessons began. We started with trying to make me more flexible and limber, as those were crucial to dancing. It took all morning. We decided to break for lunch when Aunt Bomba strutted over and told us Mom had caught us food. We made our way over to my den, and were greeted by Mom, Dad, Uncle Tugger, Addie, and Jem.

"Hey guys!" I said, and the greeting was returned. We ate the mice that Mom caught, and we sat around the main room in the den just chatting. Later that afternoon, Vicky, Jem, Addie and I decided to go play Hide-n-Go-Seek. Addie was It first. He counted to thirty, and scampered off to find us. I was hiding in the trunk of the car, and I heard noises on the lid. It sounded like paws walking around..

Then, I heard voices. "Why did you tell her?! Now she has the completely wrong idea about the situation. I don't like her at all! I thought I did, but I've changed my mind." I heard a tom's voice say.

"Well, I'm sorry! I thought you said you wanted us to tell her…" a queen replied.

"I did, but now, I don't know. She's just… I don't know, we just don't seem to connect," the tom said in response.

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" the queen asked.

"I don't know yet… I guess we'll just wait to see if things improve between us between now and the Ball… We'll figure the rest out then…" he replied.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later," the queen said. I heard the two cats jump down off of the car, and wondered who they were and who they were referring to. A few moments later, Addie threw open the trunk lid.

"Found ya! You're It!" he laughed and sauntered off, leaving me to my counting.

"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty…" and I was cut off by a paw over my eyes.

"Guess who…" a low, gritty voice said.

"Erm, I don't know…" I said.

"Wrong answer!" Mistofelees shouted. _I'm going to get you for that!_

"Hey, Misto!" I laughed. "What're you doing?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering where everyone is. You?" he replied.

"Playing Hide-n-Go-Seek. I'm It. Jem, Vicky, and Addie are playing with me." I said.

"That sounds like fun! Can I play?" he asked.

"I don't see why not," I responded. "But now I have to start counting again." I turned my head back to the car and counted to thirty. When I was done, I stalked around the Junkyard. When I got to the old pipe, I heard giggling and went to investigate. I saw Jemima and Victoria trying to blend with the shadows, but Vicky stuck out like the Moon. "I found you both!" I said.

After a while, we got bored of the game. Misto had to go home, and Jemima decided to spend the night with Vicky. I walked to my personal favorite spot in the Junkyard, an old book case in the far corner. At night, if you were sitting up on the top, you felt as though if you reached out, you could touch the Moon. I lay down across the top of the case, and looked up at the sky. It was so peaceful.

"Hey, Pepper," a quiet voice said.

"Hey, Brutus," I responded, happy to have company. I sat up and looked at him, and I saw a slight smile playing across his lips. It didn't quite look like a regular, happy Brutus smile, though. There was something different about it.

"What're you up to?" he asked me.

"I'm just looking at the stars, you?" I replied.

"Same, I guess," he said.

"So, what did you do today?" I asked him.

"I hung out with Etcy some, talked to Lectyand then I went with my mother to her human home for a while, and now I'm here," he replied.

"Oh, sounds like fun." I said.

"Eh, I guess…" he replied. "What about you?"

"Well, I went to my human home last night, and when I got back this morning, I hung out with Vicky. I told her about something Jem told me yesterday, and then she gave me some dancing lessons. Then we ate lunch and played Hide-n-Go-Seek." I said.

"Oh. What was it that Jemima told you?" he asked. I explained to him what Jem told me. "Hmm… What are you going to do about it?" he asked.

"I think I'm just going to wait it out and see what happens at the Ball…" I replied. The rest of the time, we mostly sat in silence.

"PEPPER! YOU COME HOME RIGHT NOW, LITTLE MISS!" my mother shouted. _Oops…_

"Well, I gotta go, Brutus. I'll see you tomorrow," I said, and I hugged him goodnight. He purred, and I did too.

"Night, Pepper," he said quietly.

"Night, Tumblebrutus," I replied. I padded to my parents' den, to find a rather angry mother waiting.

"Where were you, Pepper? You were supposed to be home an hour ago," she scolded.

"I'm sorry… I was sitting on the book case and I lost track of the time…" I said, almost truthfully. _I'll just leave out the part about Tumblebrutus being there…_

"Oh… Well, say goodbye to staying out late for a couple of days. You have to come home at sundown for the next three," she said.

"Sigh, alright. Goodnight, Mom. I love you," I said, and she nuzzled me affectionately.

"Goodnight, Pepper. I love you too." I padded off to my room. When I got there, I curled up on the pillow fitted into my box, and lost myself in sweet day-dreams. _It was the Jellicle Ball. I was dancing with a tom, but the figure was a shadow. We were having so much fun, and I could tell by the way my heart was fluttering that I really liked him. He leaned in to kiss me, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world._ I shook my head, releasing myself from the reverie. _That certainly was pleasant. But who in the world was I dancing with?_ I guess I'd just wait till something like that happened to figure it out. I closed my eyes and went to sleep, continuing with the lovely dream.

A/N: So, I've had a strange day today. A day full of mice. There's a mouse somewhere under my bed, as I discovered. It's been eating cookies that fell behind my headboard, because I have bunk beds and it's hard to reach back there. There's also a mouse living under my oven, as discovered by my sister. She saw it dragging a Reese's wrapper across the floor. Needless to say, it's mouse trap time. Oh, not to mention the whole side of my house where the kitchen, my dad's room, and my sister's room reside, as well as the outside of that area, smell of decomp. -_-" Anyway, I just thought I'd share that with you all.


	6. An Invitation

A/N: I see no one has gotten the Shakespeare reference in Chapter 2. So, I've decided that the first person to send me a message telling me correctly what the lines in the story are, and to which play and which characters they're referring, will get their name posted in the next chapter in an author's note. :]

Ch 6: An Invitation

I woke up the next morning in a surprisingly bright mood. "Good morning, Mom and Dad!" I shouted as I got up and stretched.

"Good morning, Pepper!" Dad shouted in return.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to catch your own breakfast this morning, dear," my dad said. "Your mother's visiting Jennyanydots and I have to go talk to Alonzo."

"Oh, alrighty. I'll bring Brutus and Lecty with me," I said as I walked out the door. _Hunting, one of my favorite things to do!_ I padded over to the den Tumblebrutus shared with Pouncival and their parents, Admetus and Cassandra. "Hey, Brutus, are you home?" I called outside the dishwasher.

"Yeah, I'll be just a second!" I heard him shout. A moment later, he emerged from the den.

"Hey, Brutes, do you want to go hunting with me and maybe Lecty?" I asked him.

"I do, but Lecty can't. She and Etcy are out and about with their mother today," he replied.

"Ah, well we can still hunt," I said before racing off. "I bet I beat you to the hunting grounds!"

"In your dreams!" he shouted. A race of epic proportions ensued. Okay, maybe not epic, but it was a good race. When we got to our destination, we were both panting from effort. He barely beat me by a whisker. "HA! In your face, Pepper!" he shouted in victory.

"Ah, shut up," I laughed. We rested for a moment before going into predator mode. I stalked a small rabbit, and Brutus hunted a large rat. When we had both made our kills, we sat down to eat.

"So, who're you going to the Jellicle Ball with?" he asked me, talking around a tuft of rat fur.

"I don't know yet. No one has asked me, and I kind of doubt that they will…" I said.

"I disagree. You're the type of queen that toms like, but are much too shy to ask out. Maybe someone will get the guts to ask you before the Ball next week," he replied.

"You think so?" I asked.

"Most definitely," he replied. "Let's go back to the Junkyard."

We padded back to the Yard, both full from our tasty rodents. When we got back, we were greeted by Jem, Vicky, Addie, Pounce, Misto, and Plato.

"Hey, guys!" Brutus and I both said.

"Hey! Wanna play Den with us?" Vicky asked.

"Sure," I replied. Brutes just nodded affirmatively. I always felt kind of bad for the tom-kits. They really didn't want to play Den at first most times, but it was the queen-kits' favorite game.

We decided that the old tire was our den.

"I wanna be the mom this time!" Jemima said.

"Okay, then who's the dad?" Misto asked.

"I will be!" Pounce replied. _Ah, young love. _Okay, maybe not love, but like. I ended up being the aunt, of course, and Plato was my mate. Vicky and Addie were Jem and Pounce's kits, and Brutes and Misto were mine and Plato's. Odd combinations, I tell you.

"Mom! Misto keeps shocking me with his stupid magic!" Brutus play-whined. However, Mistofelees was shocking him. Well, he was between fits of laughter.

"Mistofelees cut that out! Apologize to your brother, now." I said in my "pretend mother voice".

"Fine, sorry, Tumble," Misto sulked.

"Now that's better," I said, triumphantly.

After a while, as kits do, we got bored of Den and played good old Tag. No one had run after me yet, so I felt pretty safe when Plato got tagged. However, just as soon as Vicky tagged him, (he had let her catch him), he bolted after me. _What the?_ I took off running, dodging the occasional friend and running in amoebas and squiggles around the Junkyard. _My goodness, he just doesn't give up!_ I finally got tired and had to stop, and received a hard smack on my right shoulder.

"You're It!" Plato said, laughing. He ran off toward the other kittens. I trotted after, still tired. When I got near to Brutus, I saw Etcy and Lecty enter the Junkyard with their mother, Exotica. _Yessssss…_

I ran up to Etcy, smacked her on the back, and yelled," YOU'RE IT!" and took off, laughing my head off. Etcetera had a confused look on her face, and when she registered what happened, she giggled and chased after Mistofelees, who was the closest cat besides Lecty. I went and sat down on the tire, still panting.

"Mind if I join you?" Plato's voice asked from behind me.

"Not at all," I said, making room.

"It sure is a nice day, isn't it?" he asked me.

"Yeah, it is. The clouds are so beautiful," I replied.

"Just like you…" he said softly. _Did I hear him right?_

I blushed. "Well thank you, Plato. That's so sweet," I responded. I looked over at him, and the sun was reflecting off his coat, making it shine. _He looks so handsome today…_ Wait, what? _His eyes, they're like crystal blue pools of water._ Well, come to think of it, Plato was a rather attractive kit. He was really sweet, too.

"I have a question for you, Pepper. I want you to just answer me, as honestly as you can. And please, just answer. Don't beat around the bush…" he said.

"Ask away," I said, mesmerized by his eyes.

"Will you go to the Jellicle Ball with me?" he asked, his face showing hope and anxiousness.

[A/N:] I don't believe I'm going to answer this question until the next chapter. =^.^= I heard the funniest thing on the TV while I was writing some of the dialogue, but now I can't remember what it was. :/ And I rather like the word amoeba. Anyway, enough of my little random rant. Like I said at the beginning of the chapter, first person to message me with the correct Shakespeare characters and play from Chapter 2 will get their name in an Author's Note in the next chapter! :]


	7. The Ball

A/N: Sigh. No one's tried to guess the Shakespeare allusion in the second chapter. :/ I suppose I'll just tell you. When Tumblebrutus volunteered to play the dad in their game of Den, Pepper said she preferred "Cartwheel Antony". That was referring to _Julius Caesar_. Marcus Brutus was Caesar's best friend, but when Caesar became emperor of Rome, Brutus, along with Caius Cassius and many other men, betrayed Caesar and killed him. Caesar's dying words were, "Et tu, Brute? Then fall Caesar!" Mark Antony was a man who looked up to Caesar and saw him as a great ruler. He and Julius Caesar's cousin, Octavius Caesar, both had armies and battled against the armies of Brutus and Cassius. Brutus's army defeats the army of Octavius, while Antony's army beats the army of Cassius. In the end, both Brutus and Cassius die by their own hand, and the rest of the conspirators are dead as well. If you didn't know, _Julius Caesar_ was based around actual events in Roman history, and Shakespeare depicted the story as accurately as he could. Anyway, that's an explanation to my Shakespeare allusion. Enjoy this chapter :D

Ch 7: The Ball

_Did he really just ask me to the Jellicle Ball?_ I stared at him, dumbstruck. _I suppose there's no harm in going with him…_ "Yes, Plato, I will go to the Jellicle Ball with you."

A huge grin spread across his features. "Yes!" he shouted, laughing. We talked for a little while, about nothing in particular. He hugged me, and we parted ways, as it was sundown, and I was still grounded.

I walked into the door of our den, and was greeted by Jemima.

"Hey, Pepps! What did you and Plato talk about?" she asked me excitedly.

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that, and he asked me to the Jellicle Ball!" I replied, squeakily.

"EEE! Tell me about it!" she squealed, and we both laid down on my bed. I told her what happened, in very precise detail. "Awe! That's so cute! Do you know what collar you're going to wear? Or if he's going to get you one? I want details!" she demanded.

"I don't know details, Jem! But I promise I will tell you when I get them," I told her. She sighed, and left my room to go to sleep. _This Ball is going to be a good one._ I faded off into a pleasant slumber.

They days until the Jellicle Ball passed quickly. The day before the Ball, my human and her family came home from vacation.

"Pepper!" my human shouted when she saw me. "I missed you little one!" She picked me up and hugged me. _I guess I can tolerate it since she's been gone._ She rubbed my head, and I purred. Actually purred, not just acted. Then her tom-friend came over to greet her, and I made my way to the Junkyard, to continue with preparations for the Ball. A Peke strolled by, on her way to the Park, I presume, and I politely waved to her. See, Pekes weren't a bother like Pollicles were. We had a mutual respect for each other.

I arrived at the Junkyard after a relatively uneventful stroll. All the cats were running about, humming their favorite songs as they went about their assigned duties. I padded over to my father, who was of course in charge of giving assignments.

"Hello, Dad! What can I do to help?" I asked, nuzzling him in a daughterly way.

"Hi, Dear! Hmm, let's see what we need help with…" He looked around at all the different areas of the Junkyard. "Ah, you can help Tumblebrutus, Electra, and Jemima with clearing the fences of any stray garbage," he said.

"Okay! I'll get right on that!" I said before scampering off to clean with my best friends and sister. "Hey guys!" I said as I got to them.

"Hey, Pepps!" Jem greeted.

"Hello, darling," Lecty fake-purred. We all laughed. Electra was a dork.

"Hey, Pepper," Brutes said, concentrating on the plastic bag he was attempting to wrestle out of the fence. We went about our job, wrangling bags, wrappers, and the occasional odd piece of rubbish out of the Junkyard fences, cracking jokes all the while. By sundown we had just about finished.

"Woo! That was fun," I said sarcastically. My three comrades laughed. It was rather fun, just not like playing games or the like.

"Hey, Pepper, do you want to go out with me tonight?" a quiet voice came from behind me. I turned around to find a handsome looking Plato, smiling at me.

"Sure! I'd love that!" I replied happily. I received "You WILL tell me everything" looks from both my sister and my best friend as Plato and I padded away. We went to sit on a hill just outside the Junkyard. The hill overlooked the city and had a gorgeous view. We lay on the grass, backs to the ground, gazing at the stars and watching the occasional cloud drift by. A sudden breeze came and chilled the night air, so I instinctively snuggled closer to Plato for warmth. He purred and entwined our tails together. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. _This is going to be a great Ball._

A little while later, we decided it was time to head back. We walked to the Junkyard, conversing quietly about our favorite dances from the Jellicle Ball last year. When we got to my den, he hugged me goodbye and left. I went inside, and my family was already asleep. I padded to my room and curled up to sleep as well.

The next day was the day of the Jellicle Ball! Etcy, Lecty, and Vicky were going to be staying over tonight after the Ball, and I was really excited. Of course, I had to go to my human home for a little bit before going to the Ball. She and her dad were watching a recorded episode of a new show called "The Community". I went and sat with them for a little bit, and listened to them laugh. I finally decided to head back to the Junkyard to get ready.

My mom had agreed to help Jem and me get ready. Mom helped Jem get ready first, because it's her first Ball, and she needed help. She came and helped me with getting my fur all nice and shiny. Plato and Pouncival came to meet us together, and Plato gave me a lovely black collar studded with rubies. Pouncival gave Jemima a cute silver ribbon with a little moon pendant on it, because Jem loves the moon. We both linked paws with our respective dates and proceeded to the center of the Junkyard, where the Ball was supposed to take place. We saw all the other kittens there, with their dates. The couples were Victoria and Mistofelees, Electra and Admetus, Etcetera and Tumblebrutus, Jemima and Pouncival, and Plato and myself. We were all beaming. We started to chat amongst ourselves, but were interrupted by the first line in the Jellicle Ball.

"Are you blind when you're born?" my father sang in his clear voice. The Jellicle Ball had begun!

We all danced and had a wonderful time. When the time for the Mating Dance came, we all wondered who would become mates. To everyone's surprise, Old Deuteronomy took a new mate. It was Jellylorum! We'd all known they were seeing each other for a while, but we'd never have guessed they'd become mates. After the Ball, Plato and I walked to the hill we went to yesterday.

"I had a wonderful time with you tonight, Plato," I said to him, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I had a good time, too," he said, looking back into mine. He leaned down to kiss me. I kissed him back, but something felt amiss. Isn't your first actual kiss, not like a Truth or Dare kiss, but kiss with someone you like, supposed to be somewhat special? I guess this was special, it just didn't feel, amazing, like everyone said it does. I don't know.

After a little while, we walked back to my den, where all the tom-kits were saying their goodnights to their respective queen-kit dates. Plato and I said a quick goodbye, and all the toms left. Then, the real fun began. We played games all night, like Tag, Hide-n-Go-Seek, and things like those a bunch of queen-kits would be expected to do. Our most conversed topic: toms, of course. We all got tired at around 3:00 A.M., so we went to sleep.

At about 4:30, I woke up to find Jemima missing. I went to where I knew she'd be, the roof.

"Hey, Jem, is everything alright?" I asked.

"Oh, um, not really," she replied, startled at the sudden words.

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked, padding over to my little sister.

"Sure…" she said. She told me that she didn't think she and Pounce would last. He was a nice enough tom; she just didn't think they'd have feelings forever. I told her that was a normal part of growing up. We talked for a while about random little things, like sisters do sometimes. Our favorite topic to discuss together was the heavens, or rather, the heavenly bodies we call the moon and stars. Jemima and I had always had an obsession with the night sky, her focusing more on the moon, myself on the stars. When the sun started to make its presence known, we went inside to go back to sleep.

[A/N:] Today was another weird day. I decided that I hate mice. They're smarter than me. However, we got a mouse trap, and plan to catch the little critters and set them free somewhere where Pepper can't kill them. I also watched the series premier of the previously mentioned show, "The Community". It was so hilarious! I'd definitely recommend it to someone who's looking for a Thursday night show. I'm not sure what channel it's on, or at what time, but it's great. And! I watched the season premier of "The Office", which is another favorite show. Yay! But enough about T.V. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and thank you for reading. I hope to get more reviews! :D


	8. And Life Goes On

A/N: I hate snap-traps. You know, the original, neck-snapping mouse trap? They make me sad. However, they are insanely effective. Four mice in a span of about 45 minutes, all caught from the same place. I hate the thought of killing an innocent creature, but they're too smart for our humane approach. :'( Also, I would like to thank my reviewers, Getsemone and Sarah Victoria Cullen. I appreciate your compliments more than you know. :)

Ch 8: And Life Goes On

After the night of the Ball, things went pretty much back to normal. All of the kittens were still kittens, and we all still loved our games. As the weeks went by, the younger kittens' relationships didn't seem to last. Jemima hit the nail on the head when she thought her relationship with Pouncival was doomed to failure. Brutus finally got tired of all Etcetera's whining. Victoria and Mistofelees agreed to just be friends, as they both had other cats they liked more. Plato and I, well, we ended our little near-romance. Neither of us really felt a spark. We're still good friends, however. The only relationship that passed the test of time was that of Electra and Admetus. They were the perfect halves in a whole. Anyway, as I said, life went on pretty much as normal. My human started school again, and was gone most of the day. Her father was always out and about, doing I-have-no-idea what, but I was under the impression that it was physical labor, because he always came home tired and dirty. The humans being gone all day meant I could hang out in the Junkyard more. One day, as I made my way to the Junkyard, a Pug approached me. She looked to be around my age.

"Hello," the pup said.

"Hello," I replied.

"Um, I was wondering if you could give me directions to Kensington Square. I'm supposed to meet my mother there today, but I'm lost," the pup said glumly.

"Sure," I replied. I explained to her the fastest route to the Square, and she thanked me and went about her way. I continued on my trek to the Junkyard. When I arrived, I was put to work almost immediately.

"Pepper, you must help me find my mice. I've lost track of them, and I don't want other cats confusing them with their next meal," Jennyanydots said as she lifted a newspaper and searched underneath it.

"Alright, I'll do my best," I replied. We searched for about half an hour before finally locating the little creatures hiding in the farthest junk pile from Jenny's den. She thanked me and stalked off, scolding her mice for running away. I went to find my two best friends. I found them with all the other kittens, trying to decide on a game to play. "Hey, guys! Mind if I join in?" I asked.

"Sure! You can sit by me," Lecty said. I padded over to her and took a seat between her and Brutus. Addie was on the other side of her. "Hey, Admetus!" I said, looking around Electra.

"Hey, Pepper," he replied.

After a long-ish discussion, we decided on our most played game, Den. Admetus and Electra were the parents, Plato, Victoria and I their kittens. Jemima and Mistofelees were the best friends of the parents, and Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, and Etcetera were their kittens.

As it always went, we got bored of Den and decided to play another game. We decided on Freeze Tag. We played until lunch time, when all the kittens had to go to their respective dens. My parents were out on errands for the day, so Jem and I ate at Pouncival and Tumblebrutus's house. Cassandra had prepared Jenny's recipe for mousecakes. They were delicious. After lunch, Pouncival and Jem went to go play with Victoria and Plato, and Electra and Admetus went on a date. Brutus and I decided to walk to our favorite hangout. When we got to the pond, it was full of its usual teeming of life. Fish were swimming all about, dragonflies were buzzing around, and the occasional wasp was dipping down to the water for a drink. The birds were singing their cute little melodies, and the air was fresh. It was a beautiful sight, to any sense. We sat down next to the water, gazing in at all the little lives inside.

"It's so wonderful out here," I said quietly, watching a small minnow swimming around.

"Yeah, it's so full of life," Brutus replied. "I love looking at all the little critters living their lives."

"I do, too. It almost makes you wonder if someone, much bigger than we are, is sitting, watching us live our lives, doesn't it?" I asked, pondering the question.

"It does, in a way," he agreed. We sat, enchanted by the flow of life in the water. I felt a sudden slap on my shoulder. "You're It, Salt," Brutes said slyly before running off. _Salt? Really? _I raced after him, as fast as my legs would run. He saw me, and sped up. I ran after him, struggling to increase my pace. I managed to go just a little faster, but only for a short distance. I tripped on a tree root and went flying across the dirt. Brutus heard me crash, and he skidded to a stop. He turned and trotted toward me, the kitten lying face down in the dirt. "You alright there?" he called.

"Ow…" I mumbled.

"I'll take that as a no…" he said. He walked over to me and helped me up. "Let's take you back to the Junkyard and have Jelly look at you." We slowly went back to the Junkyard. My front left paw was in immense pain, and every time I put weight on it, the pain intensified. I whimpered inwardly, not wanting to show weakness in front of Tumblebrutus for some odd reason. I had several cuts on my face and forearms, as well as my front paws. Needless to say, it hurt. When we finally reached the Junkyard, we went straight to Jellylorum's den, which she shared with Old Deuteronomy, when he was in the Junkyard.

"My word, Pepper! What did you do to yourself?" Jelly asked me.

"I tripped…" I replied.

"I see. Well, follow me. We need to take a look at your injuries," the medical at commanded. By this time, Brutus had left to go find my parents. I limped slowly over to the back hallway, where Jelly was waiting for me. I winced with every step that was taken with my injured leg. When I finally reached her, she put an arm around me, to steady me. We walked to a large room in the back of the den, which had a small bed. I lay down on the bed, and Jelly began her examination. After a few minutes, my parents, Jemima, and Tumblebrutus all came into the room, looking worried. I must have looked pretty awful, because Jem's eyes went wide, and she turned away. _Great, I probably look like I got mauled by a car. Oh, Everlasting Cat, OW!_ I looked over at the source of the pain to see Jenny moving the joint on my paw back and forth, testing it. I winced every time she moved it. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she set my paw gently down. I drew it closer to me, guarding it.

"Is she alright, Jelly?" my mother asked.

"She's got several shallow lacerations, contusions, and a sprained wrist. She'll heal just fine, but it'll take some time," Jelly answered. _Huh?_

"Jelly, what do lacerations and contusions mean?" Jem asked her. _Thank you, little sister._

"Simply put, cuts and bruises," the medical cat clarified. _Darn these medical terms!_

"Oh," Jemima said quietly.

"How long will it take for her to heal?" my father asked.

"Oh, it just depends. Probably no less than a week, but no more than I'd say two months," she answered.

"Ah, I see. What are the factors that influence recovery time?" he asked. I lost interest in the conversation and began talking to Brutus and Jem.

"Wow, Pepper, you look like you're in pain," he said.

"Yeah," I replied.

"What happened?" Jem asked. I explained to her just how I got hurt, and she just nodded when appropriate. "Hmm, well that sucks," she said when I was done.

"Little bit…" I said, laughing.

"Well, you can go now. I assure you, your injuries look worse than they are," Jelly said. We thanked her and left. I did my best not to put weight on my stupid sprained paw. When I got to my den, Brutus hugged me and left. I went to my room and started to clean my fur, which was caked with blood around my gashes. It took me a while, but I finally got myself clean. I limped into the main room, where Uncle Tugger, Aunt Bomba, Mom, Dad, Vicky, Addie, and Jem were sitting.

"See, not so bad," I said.

"I suppose so. Your wrist is rather swollen, though," Aunt Bomba replied. I looked down. _Ugh, it looks like someone shoved a ball into my wrist._ I sat down next to Victoria. We all talked about my visit to Jellylorum's den, how it happened, and things like that. They left no stone unturned. Finally, Tugger and Bomba decided it was time to go home. Vicky asked to stay, and both sets of parentals said yes. She, Jem, and I slept in the main room. I couldn't play Tag, so we just talked. Toms was our main topic, as always. Jem and Vicky finally got tired and went to sleep, but I couldn't. I got up and limped slowly over to the door and climbed painfully to the roof. I lie on my back and look at the stars. _They're so beautiful…_ I heard paws coming towards me, and I froze.

"It's a nice night, isn't it?" Brutus asked me. I relaxed.

"Yeah," I replied softly. He laid down next to me and looked up at the night sky. A cool breeze started to blow, and my friend pulled me close to him, to keep me warm. I lay my head on his shoulder, and he started to purr. I purred too.

I woke the next morning, not on my roof, but on the floor of the main room. _What the…_ I saw Jem and Vicky, still asleep. I got up and padded to my parents' room, and they were asleep. _I wonder how early it is…_ I looked out the door, and it was still dark. I saw a figure, retreating into the night. I walked outside, and limped as fast as I could to catch the cat. He turned around, and it was Tumblebrutus.

"Thanks for putting me back in my den. That was sweet of you," I said quietly.

"You're welcome…" he said, almost nervously. "I figured I should, so your parents wouldn't get mad…"

"Well, thank you," I said. I couldn't really think of anything to say, as I was too entranced in his gaze. It captured me, made my heart beat fast. _What is going on?_ I internally slapped myself, to regain focus.

"You're welcome… I should go now. My parents are probably wondering where I am…" he said. He almost sounded sad.

"Okay… Well, I had fun with you today, Brutes," I replied, glumly. I didn't want him to leave. _Wait, what?_ I hugged him, and rubbed my head on his. I backed away just in time to see a slight blush fading.

"Me, too. I'll see you later, Pepper," he said.

"See ya, Tumblebrutus," I said back. He padded to his den and went inside. I turned and padded home, slowly and painfully. I curled back up in the same spot he put me earlier, and went to sleep.

[A/N:] Yay! Long chapter! Anyway, yesterday was eventful. I went to a start-of-school party for an extra-curricular activity I do called English Expo, and got thrown in the river, fully clothed. Great, right? No. This was after getting less than enough sleep, being at Theatre for a set day for like five hours. We were painting, putting up flats, securing flats, and doing a little bit of dutching, or sealing, flats. One of the seals got completely screwed up, so I had to go fix it. I don't like the flour-water stuff. It's nasty. Today, I learned a couple of things about fighting. I won't share them, but they're pretty cool. :D


	9. Games, Questions, and Mental Smacks

A/N: I didn't get any reviews this last chapter :/ I'd love to have some feedback on the story, especially constructive criticism. I actually like it because it shows me what I can do better. Side note: I know it's a little odd that Pepper has such a keen sense of time, but I'm just going to go with her knowing how to tell time by the position of the sun… Sorry if this chapter is a little random and off the wall… I'm in a strange mood…

9: Games, Questions, and Mental Smacks.

When I woke up the next morning, my paw was throbbing. "Gwah! Mom, it hurts!" I yelled, still half asleep. Jem and Vicky rolled over, yawning.

"Shut up, Pepper, we're trying to sleep," Vicky snapped.

"Mmm…" Jem mumbled. I got up and limped to my parents' room. _Oh, great, they're gone._ I left the den and went to seek out Jellylorum or Jennyanydots. One of them was bound to have something to help. I found Jenny first.

"Hello, dear, how are you this lovely morning?" she asked, cheerily.

"My paw is killing me. Do you have something that could help?" I asked.

"Well, I have some human Tylenol caplets back at my den, but I'd prefer to ask your parents first before I give it to you," she said. _Dang…_

"I'll go find them," I replied before limping off to find a parent. I located my father, the complete opposite side of the Junkyard. I slowly made my way over to him, and asked him to accompany me to speak with Jenny.

"You look like you need carrying…" he said. I didn't protest, so he picked me up and carried me back across the Yard. _Thank Heaviside for strong fathers…_ When we got to the Gumbie Cat, she asked him about the pills, and he said to only give me a small piece of one. She had no objections. A little while later, no more pain! I went to find Electra.

"Hey, sexy!" I said jokingly when I found her.

"Hello!" she replied, laughing. "Whatcha wanna do today?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Wanna go find Brutus and ask him what we should do today?" I asked.

"Sure, sounds like a plan," she said. And we were off to find Brutes. We found him with his brother on the chair again.

"Hey, Br00t4lz, come down here!" I shouted up.

"Okay! Bye Pounce, Admetus, Plato!" he said before jumping down.

"What should we do today, Tumblebrutus?" Lecty asked.

"Hmm, hunting?" he offered.

"Okay! Sounds fun!" I replied, energetically. We went to the hunting grounds. By the time we had each made a kill, it had been about three hours. Brutus caught a bird, Lecty caught a rat, and I caught a large lizard. We lay down to eat our meal.

"That looks rather… gross… Pepper," Lecty said, gesturing to my lizard. [A/N: I'm not sure if they have lizards in London, but we have lizards here in the desert, so it makes perfect sense to me.]

"It's not too awful…" I said. It was an acquired taste, reptile. I hadn't fully taken a liking to the things, but I could tolerate them.

"Hmm…" Lecty said.

"Hmm indeed," Brutus replied. We ate in relative silence for the rest of the time.

When we padded back to the Junkyard, everyone was out and about. We went over to the group of kittens.

"Hey, guys!" Jemima waved.

"Hey!" we replied.

"Wanna play a game?" Etcy asked.

"Sure! What game?" Lecty asked her sister.

"Truth or Dare!" Pouncival replied. We nodded in the affirmative and sat down in the circle.

"Who's first?" Mistofelees asked.

"Hmm, I'll go first," Plato said. "Vicky, truth or dare?"

"Hmm, truth I guess…" she replied, slightly blushing.

"If you could have one thing, material wise, in the whole world, what would it be?" he asked.

"Uh, I don't know. I'd really love a diamond collar," she answered. _Hmm, interesting…_ "Misto, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he said, grinning.

"I dare you to eat dry dog food," she said with a glint in her eye. _Ooh, that's a good one!_

"You're joking, right?" he asked.

"Not at all. There just happens to be some in this junk pile over here," she replied.

"I'll get you back for this, Victoria. Just wait and see," he said, stalking over to the dog food. He took one bite and ran back over to us, scraping his tongue with his paws. "Cettie, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she replied, warily. I guess she didn't want to get stuck eating dog food, too.

"How many toms have you kissed?" he asked.

"Hmm," she said, mumbling to herself. She started to count on her paws, and finally answered, "Five. I've kissed five toms. Now, Lectra, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Lecty replied.

"I dare you to go find a baby doll's dress and wear it for the rest of the day!" Etcy said, grinning madly. _Poor Lecty! That's going to be so embarrassing!_

"Fine, but first, Pepper, truth or dare?" she asked.

"Umm, dare," I replied.

"Okay, I dare you to answer this question. Who would you want to go to the Jellicle Ball with this year?" she asked.

"Uh, well, I don't really know yet… I don't really think about crushes very much…" I replied. _Who __would__ I like to go with?_

"You give the worst answers, Pepper. They never divulge anything good…" she sighed. "Off to find a stupid dress…" She scampered all around the Junkyard, rummaging through piles of junk. After about ten minutes, she came back, wearing a hilariously pink, frilly dress. Her ears were flattened and she looked like she wanted to disappear.

"My turn! Brutes, truth or dare?" I asked, looking at my friend.

"Truth," he replied.

"Same question Lecty asked me," I said.

"Um, well, I uh, erm," he stammered, a blush creeping across his face like paint spilling across a floor.

"Well?" I prodded.

"I uh, don't know…" he said, drooping his ears. "Pounce, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Pouncival piped.

"I dare you to go on a date with Etcetera," he said. Etcy blushed and gave him a killer look.

"Ooh, death glare!" I laughed.

"Okay… Well, how about tomorrow evening, Cetts?" he asked, slightly blushing.

"Sounds good…" she replied.

"Good," he replied. "Jemima, truth or dare?"

"Dare," she said softly.

"I dare you to kiss the tom you like," he said.

"Can I change it to truth?" she asked.

"Nope, sorry," he replied, smirking. _Jerk…_ She padded slowly across the circle, ears flattened in embarrassment and nervousness, and lightly planted a kiss on Mistofelees's lips. His ears perked up and his eyes went wide in response. When she pulled away and padded back to her spot next to Vicky, he stood up and followed, sitting next to her. I couldn't hear anything, but I swear I saw them whispering and giggling.

"I'm getting bored of this game. Let's play Tag!" Vicky shouted. All the other kits, besides me, shouted in agreement. I padded over to the big tire and took a seat, knowing that with my injured paw, I couldn't run. Lecty went off to find Addie, who wasn't in the circle of kits. I laid my head on my paws and closed my eyes, just wanting to bask in the warmth of the day.

"Mind if I join you?" a soft voice asked me. I opened my eyes to see Tumblebrutus, looking into my eyes from the ground. Catching his gaze made my stomach flutter, and I could feel myself almost blushing, though I didn't know why.

"Sure, why not?" I said, trying to be nonchalant but failing. He laid down beside me.

"I figured you could use some company, since everyone is playing Tag," he said, sounding almost rehearsed.

"That's very considerate of you," I said, smiling. We were there for a while, watching the others play Tag and chatting quietly about nothing in particular. Every time I looked at him, my heart skipped a beat. I found myself staring at him, studying his features, multiple times. _What am I doing? He's my best friend! I don't even like him like that! _I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and my bell tinkled.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, looking concerned.

"No, I had a bug in my ear…" I lied, hoping he wouldn't catch me. He didn't appear to.

"Oh, well is it out?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so…" I replied.

"Tumble, Pounce, time to come home!" Asparagus shouted. "Your mother has dinner ready!"

"Sigh, I guess I've gotta go… I'll see you later, Pepper," he said.

"Bye, Brutus. I'll see you later…" I replied, somewhat sadly. He hugged me, and I started to purr. I realized it and tried to quiet the happy rumbling in my throat, but I heard him purring too. He rubbed his head against mine, and I purred louder. _Gwah! Enough, Pepper! You don't like him like that!_ He left, padding slowly away. I stayed for a little while longer.

At sundown, I jumped down from the tire, forgetting about my sprained paw, and yelped in pain when I hit the ground. I padded home, painfully, and went to my room. Sitting on my bed was a beautiful dark red rose and a note that said, "Be on your roof Thursday at midnight." _Why Thursday? Why the roof? And who am I meeting? _I made a decision and went to say goodbye to my parents and Jemima. I was going to my human home. I needed to think. I limped slowly through the streets, doing my best to avoid any strangers, so I wouldn't have to run. I finally made it home, and my human was outside in the garage with her father, hitting a blue bag on a chain. I meowed, hoping to get their attention.

"Hey, Pepper! Oh, what happened to your paw, little neko? Dad, look at her paw!" Ryann said as she scooped me up off the ground.

"Poor thing, she probably sprained it or something. Bring her inside, I think I can make a bandage small enough for her," her father said. She carried me into the kitchen, where her father started messing with a strip of cloth. He walked over to me and started to gently wrap the strip around my forepaw. He wrapped it tightly, but not too tight. I was amazed at how fast he did it.

"It's so useful having a licensed Paramedic around," Ryann laughed. _Oh, der! He's trained in emergency medical care…_ I mentally slapped myself for not remembering. I started wriggling in Ryann's arms, signaling that I wanted to be put down. She obliged. "There you go hon. Hope your paw feels better soon!"

I padded into her bedroom and laid down on the bottom bunk. _Now to do some thinking…_ I was right about to delve into my thought process when Penny walked into the room.

"Hey, Pepper! How are you?" she asked, cheery as ever.

"Eh, I'm alright I guess… I have a lot to think about… You?" I asked.

"I'm good," she replied, tail swinging and hitting the door frame. _How has she not broken that thing yet?!_

"Penny, come here!" Ryann's sister, Tabitha, yelled. Penny was out of the room and down the hall faster than you could say she was out of the room and down the hall.

_Anyway, back to my thoughts… Why is it that every time I'm alone with Tumblebrutus, I can't seem to keep my head clear? I get so lost in his eyes, his smile, the way he laughs. He has such a nice smile… HEY, STUPID, STOP GETTING DISTRACTED! Fine, mental slapping voice, you win. I don't know why I keep feeling like I do. I don't have a crush on Brutus… Do I? Well even if I did, I shouldn't, because then it'd get all awkward. I don't want to be that awkward friend that you can tell has a crush on you, but you don't like them back, but you don't want to tell them you don't because you don't want to hurt them. I want to be the friend that is just a friend… Sigh, no I don't, but he doesn't like me that way. He wouldn't. After all, he liked Etcetera, and we're nothing alike. She's so hyper and energetic, and I'm just kind of, well, mellow. I like to run around and have fun, but I'm not bouncing off the walls. I just wish there was a way I could know for sure if I'm actually starting to like him or if I've just been hanging around him too much and I feel like I do... Even if I do actually like him, I can't show it, or ever speak of it to anyone. It'd just be too insanely awkward if they told him. For now, I guess I'll just see what happens over the next few days. If I keep feeling like that around him, I'll know I like him. If not, then the issue is over and done with. Now, some sleep…_

I lay my head on my paws, and drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. Luckily, my human let me sleep the night through without coming to bug me.

I awoke the next morning, and Ryann had already left for school. I made my way to the Junkyard, avoiding any troubling incidents. The day passed fairly quickly, but I was bored most of the day. The other kittens had an ongoing game of Tag, and I couldn't join them. Brutus wasn't anywhere to be seen, and Lecty was spending the day with Admetus. I went to Lecty's den for the night, for a sleep over. Jemima and Vicky came as well. It was a long, fun night.

I woke up the next morning and a single thought popped into my head. _It's Thursday…_ Jem, Vicky, and I said goodbye to Electra, Etcetera, and their mother, Exotica. They were going to be out of the Junkyard all day. I decided to go find Brutus. I looked all around the Junkyard, and I couldn't find him. I found Pouncival. I padded over to the tom-kit.

"Hey, Pounce. Where's Brutus?" I asked.

"Hmm, I don't know," he said.

"Sigh. Do you really not know, or do you just not want to tell me?" I asked.

"I just don't want to tell you. So, I won't," he replied, smirking.

"You're an idiot sometimes…" I grumbled, padding away. My paw didn't hurt as bad today, thankfully. I went to the pond to be alone. _Where is he? He's never gone like this… And Pounce knows where he is, but he won't tell me… What is going on?_ I decided to go visit my human family again. I made my way slowly across the city and reached my human home faster than I had thought.

"Hey, neko cat!" Ryann said when she saw me. I brushed up against the wall. They always thought it was adorable when I did that, though I don't know why. She walked over and kneeled down to scratch my head. I purred. She picked me up and carried me into the kitchen, where she set me on the counter at my food bowl. I went and ate a few bites of the dry cat food. The stuff was actually not half bad. I went and jumped out the pet door, onto the cinderblock wall, and onto the neighbor's roof. I lay, basking in the late afternoon sun. I guess I fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, it was dark. _Oh, crap! I have to get to the Junkyard!_ I jumped down onto the wall and walked to the big tree that barricaded the front yard and the back. I crawled through the tree and jumped to the ground, quite painfully I might add. I limped to the Junkyard, now with pain in my front paw, and made it through the fence at around 10:30. I padded slowly to my den and went inside.

"Hey, Pepper!" Admetus greeted.

"Hey, Admetus! Are you staying the night?" I asked, curious.

"Yeah. Victoria is, too. She's in Mim's room," he replied. I noticed his unique nickname for Jem. _Hmm, Mim, I'd have never thought of that…_

"Ah, well cool," I said. I padded to my room. I wanted to get cleaned up before whatever was going to be waiting on my roof. I sat on my "bed" and began the meticulous task of grooming myself. After a bit, my mother walked into my room.

"Hey, Pepper. We're all going to sleep. Goodnight, darling," she said.

"Goodnight, Mom," I replied and nuzzled her affectionately. She padded out. I crept through my den, careful not to wake anyone, and went outside. The moon was high in the sky, and it was almost time. I made my way to the roof and lay down, looking up at the stars.

"Hey," a quiet voice said from behind me. My heart jumped.

"Hi," I replied, quietly.

"Mind if I join you?" the voice asked.

"I'd like that," I replied. The cat padded forward slowly and lay down next to me. I looked over, already knowing whose face I'd see.

A/N: Okay, so that chapter was longer than I expected, even though it's still kind of short. I tried to leave a little bit of a cliffie, but I don't think that one was very good. Anyway, the parts where Pepper was describing her human home, that's based on actual fact. My dad actually is a retired Paramedic, I do have a cinderblock wall right next to my neighbor's roof, there's a tree blocking the back yard from the front, and I do really have bunk beds. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! Please, feel free to review. Constructive criticism is strongly welcomed. :D


	10. Thursday at Midnight

A/N: I apologize for the uncharacteristic of me lack of update for a few days. I got extremely busy being a Thespian and having a sister going up to a college for Senior Day which caused me to have to stay somewhere else. However, the play is done and my sister and dad are back, so I can write a little more now. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers! :D

Ch 10: Thursday at Midnight

I woke up sometime later, though it was still dark, and found that I was still on my roof. There was a slight sound of breathing about a foot to the side of me. _What in the world?_ I flipped over, only to come face to face with the sleeping form of my best friend, Tumblebrutus. _Oh, now I remember…_

_I looked to see Tumblebrutus sitting next to me on my roof. I smiled at him._

"_Isn't the year nice for this time of weather?" he asked. *_

"_I beg your pardon?" I replied, confused as to what he meant.*_

"_Weather… nice weather…" he said, chagrined.*_

"_Ah, well yes, the weather is nice," I replied, no longer confused._

"_So, uh, how are you?" he asked, quietly._

"_I'm alright, I suppose. You?" I replied, quietly._

"_I'm, okay, I guess," he said._

"_Well that's good…" I replied. I wanted so badly to ask him where he'd gone the past few days, but I couldn't bring myself to. We lay on the roof for a little while, talking about the stars. Again, I found myself getting lost in his features, instead of paying full attention to our conversation. After a short time, my patience with myself grew thin. I decided to ask my question._

"_Where have you been the past couple of days, Brutus?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound desperate or anything._

"_I was… around…" he replied._

"_Nowhere that I could find you…" I said quietly, almost more to myself than to him._

"_Oh…" was all he said._

"_Brutus, can I ask you something?" I asked, as a new thought popped into my head._

"_Go for it," he replied._

"_The other day, when we were playing Truth or Dare, and I told you to answer the question Electra asked me, which was who I would want to go to the Ball this year with, what would you have said, if no one else were around?" I asked._

_He started to blush a deep scarlet. "Well, um…" he said, suddenly very nervous._

"_Brutes, you can tell me… I could help you ask her, or do nothing about it at all if you'd prefer…" I said, wanting to help my friend and possibly the tom I wanted to be with._

"_I, eh, well…" he paused, and he looked as if he was having an intense internal battle about something very important. After about a minute, he sighed, perked his ears, and had an air of confidence about him. __That's, well, interesting… __"It's you, Pepper. I would like to go to the Ball with you, if you want to," he said.__ Me? Oh, Everlasting Cat, YES! Gwah! Calm down, self, you don't want to look too eager… _

"_I'd love to attend the Ball with you, Tumblebrutus," I said, smiling at him._

"_Really? That's great!" he said, leaping up. He pulled me up too, and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, purring. I didn't bother to try to stop, because I knew I couldn't. Thankfully, he was purring, too. We eventually sat back down on the roof and stargazed again. I inched closer to him, hoping he wouldn't notice. When I felt I was close enough to, I nuzzled my head into his neck. What he did surprised me. He wrapped his tail around me, drawing me in further. We sat like that for who knows how long, until we both fell asleep._

I smiled at the memory of the previous night. I looked at Brutus's face. _He looks so peaceful and happy. He's almost, divinely, tranquil._ I felt bad for what I was about to do. I readied myself for attack and pounced, my front paws landing on his chest.

"Wake up, Brutes!" I whispered into his ear.

"Who, what, where?" he asked, sleepily.

"Pepper, waking you up, on my roof," I said, in response to his groggy babbling questions.

"Meh," he said and rolled over. I batted his nose with my paw.

"You gotta get up, Tumblebrutus," I said.

"Fine…" he grumbled and sat up. He looked annoyed, but handsome nonetheless.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Brutus. We both need to get into our dens before our parents notice our absences…" I said, sadly.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Pepper," he replied sadly. He rubbed his head against mine, in a gesture of affection. He helped me down from the roof, and I watched him walk to his den and disappear inside. I did the same. I had almost made it to my room when a voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

"So, how'd it go?" Admetus asked me.

"Uh, pretty well…" I replied, nervously, turning to face him. _Please, oh please, let him be the only one awake._

"Don't worry, no one else is up. I just have insomnia sometimes… So are you and Tumblebrutus going to the Ball together or what?"

"Yes, yes we are," I replied, happily.

"I see. Ele and I are going together again. This time, as mates," he said, smiling a smile I had never seen before. _Whoa, MATES?! When did this happen?_

"Oh, wow, well congratulations!" I said, genuinely.

"Thank you," he said, smiling. "I guess that leaves the Mating Dance open for another queen…"

"Yeah, I suppose so. I wonder who will dance it this year. Do you think Vicky will?" I asked him.

"I don't know. She might, if Plato ever warms up to her," he said, laughing a little. I laughed as well.

"Well, I'm kinda tired. I'll see you in the morning, Addie," I said and hugged my cousin. I padded the rest of the way to my room and lay down on my bed. _Goodnight, world. Have a pleasant night…_

*The lines of dialogue with the asterisks are from the script of the play I was in. The quotes themselves belong to the writer of _HOLDER POSEY, THE FELONIOUS PHOTOGRAPHER Or… Step into My Darkroom and We'll See What Develops_, Billy St. John. The part that belongs to me is the 'he said, I said' parts.

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is short. I'm going to start the next chapter today, as well, though I'm not at all aware if I'll finish it today or not. Please, review my work and tell me what you liked or didn't like! :D


	11. Auditions

A/N: I am SO sorry for not updating more quickly. I got extremely busy with getting ready for auditions and then auditioning. Also, this week was Homecoming week. I'm not typically a school spirit kinda gal, but our new principal is just awesome. He's really supporting the students, particular to me the Theatre program, even if the school board isn't. A lot of weird things have happened in the time I haven't been writing. One of which being that stupid Jason broke the microwave. Little jerk. But, you're expecting a story, not my ramblings. So, without further ado, here's another chapter of Pepper.

Ch 11: Auditions

So, as it usually does, life went on. My paw slowly healed, and I was finally able to run around with the other kits. I don't think I ever had so much fun playing Tag as I did that first day I could again. Tumblebrutus and I were basically tom-friend and queen-friend. Neither of us really asked the other, it just sort of happened that way. The time went by so fast; it almost seemed to leave us all behind. This year, Brutes, Vicky, Lecty, Plato, Addie, and I were all going to make the transition from kits to young adults. It was an exciting thought, but somewhat scary nonetheless. One day, about two months before the Ball, we were called to a meeting with my father and grandfather.

"Now, kits, I'm sure you're all wondering why we called you here today," Old Deuteronomy said. "We've arranged this meeting to choose the two who will be dancing the Invitation and Mating dances this year. Now, as you all know, being chosen for these dances is a great honor. But, great honor comes with great responsibility. The two who are picked will have to attend numerous practices and learn the dances perfectly. Now, I give the floor to Munkustrap, so he can explain the details."

My father stood up and walked to the center of the semi-circle we had arranged ourselves in. "Tom-kits and queen-kits, this year you're to become young adults. I fully believe that any two of you could perform these dances extremely well, but we do have to choose just two. Now, if you're wondering how the choices will be made, I'll explain in just a moment. First off, I need to tell you that the dances signify that the two cats are becoming mates, so that will be a factor in choosing who gets to dance. Also, should anything happen to one partner, the other must give up their dance, unless they wish to take a different mate. Now that you know those two things, I'll explain the process of choosing. It's basically an audition. We're going to have each pair choreograph a dance to perform for a panel of judges, and whichever couple's dance demonstrates the most skill and dedication will be chosen to dance at the Ball. Your dances must be ready in two weeks. Any questions?"

All the kits shook their heads in the negative.

"Well, alright then. We'll meet back here in two weeks for the judging. Good luck, kits!" my father said.

"We look forward to seeing what you come up with," my grandfather added. We all got up and exited the meeting place.

"This should be interesting…" I said to Brutes and Lecty, who were walking with me.

"Yeah… I don't know if Addie and I are going to try out… Neither of us is very good at dancing, and we already plan to become mates at the Ball anyway…" Lecty said.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't audition. Who knows, maybe they'll like your dance and you'll be picked," Brutes replied. I nodded in agreement.

"I wonder if Plato and Vicky are going to try out. I know she'll want to, but I've never been certain if he likes her back," Lecty said, thinking aloud.

"Who knows...?" I replied, wondering as well. Electra decided to go meet with Admetus to discuss whether or not they'd prepare an audition dance. Tumblebrutus and I went and climbed up onto my roof.

"Hey, Pepper, I have a question for you…" Brutus said, somewhat timidly. _That's strange… I don't think I've ever heard him sound like that before…_

"What is it, Brutus?" I asked, unsure of what to make from the situation.

"Well, I was wondering if…maybe…you'd want to try out for the dances with me?" he asked. He looked so anxious I thought he'd explode.

"Of course I want to, Brutes! I'd love nothing more than to dance the Invitation and Mating dances with you!" I said, all truthfully. He tackle-hugged me. We hadn't kissed yet, though we'd been "together" for a while. It was sort of a silent agreement that we wouldn't until we weren't kits anymore.

So, for the next two weeks, all the kits that were of age were practicing their audition dances. Plato ended up asking Vicky to dance with him. Electra and Admetus decided to try as well. Each couple was given a human radio to use for music. If we could figure the contraption out, that is. I went to my human home regularly, as is expected of an inside-outside cat. I heard her listening to a really nice song, so I decided I'd ask Brutus about it. I snagged her iPod and ran back to the Junkyard. I plugged the little thing into the radio and played the song for him.

"So, what do you think?" I asked him.

"I like it. I think we should definitely use it for our dance," he replied. I was a little surprised, because I hadn't thought he'd agree so readily. The song was light and airy sounding trance music. We choreographed a fun but romantic dance to the song Fireflies by Owl City.

When the day came for auditions, we were all very nervous. The only ones who looked even semi-confident were Victoria and Plato, mostly because they were the best dancers of our generation. I decided to go talk to Electra. I padded over to where she and Addie were sitting, and Brutus followed.

"Hey, Lecty. You ready for today?" I asked.

"Well, I guess… Our dance is ready, but I just hope we'll be able to do it right…" she said.

"I know how you feel… I'm really nervous…" I replied. She said they choreographed their dance to a song called One Day by Matisyahu. I'd never heard it before. Victoria told me that she and Plato had created their dance to a song called Beautiful by Eminem. I didn't recognize that name either. All the kits talked for a while, and seemingly out of nowhere, Dad appeared.

"We're ready for you all," he said. He went and sat down at the end of a line of adult cats, which included my grandfather, Aunt Bomba, Jennyanydots, and Gus. "Okay, now who would like to go first?"

"We will, Uncle Munku," Vicky said. She and Plato walked to the center of the small clearing and stood in front of the judges. My mother, who was sitting off to the side, pressed a button on the human stereo and the music started playing. Victoria and Plato's dance was complicated and graceful, and it made my heart drop. _Well, I guess there goes our shot… _The judges clapped, as did the rest of us, and Dad called for the next pair. Electra and Admetus stood in front of the judging panel, and my mother pressed the button. Their dance was simple, yet it was cute and it looked like they had fun doing it. I smiled. Then, it was my and Tumblebrutus's turn. We got up and stood in front of the cats who were going to make this decision. Mom pressed the button, and our song started to play. Our dance was very partner oriented, and we had a blast dancing to our song. After we finished, Aunt Bomba told us all we could leave to await their decision. I could already tell it was going to be the most nerve-wracking wait of my life so far.

A/N: Wow… I really don't like this chapter very much… I'm probably going to go back and re-write it later. I apologize for the lack of length in the chapter, as well. I promise to try and update more often, but I've been super busy with Theatre and Joey. Please, PLEASE, tell me what I could do better with this. Thanks! :D


	12. Chosen

A/N: On a side note, before I even begin, I really hate my sister's bird lately. He flies over to wherever I am JUST so he can scream at me if I make a single movement. He also continually tries to steal my food. So, now that that's out of the way, here's another chapter of Pepper.

Ch 12: Chosen

It was the longest week of our lives. The judging panel had been meeting every day, trying to decide which couple would perform at the Ball. We were instructed to wait outside until they had reached their decision, or until it was time to go home.

Finally, after a week of waiting, my father and grandfather walked to us.

"We've decided which couple will be performing the Invitation and the Mating Dance this year. It was a very hard decision, as all of you performed outstanding dances. However, we can only have one couple. The couple we have chosen are Tumblebrutus and Pepper, with Electra and Admetus in close second. Thank you for waiting, and good luck on the dances!" my father announced proudly. _What? Brutus and I were chosen? OH MY EVERLASTING CAT! YAY! _I wanted badly to run around in circles, screaming in delight. However, my reserved nature kept me from it.

"You are not to discuss this with ANY other cats, save those that already know. Understood? Good, you are dismissed," my grandfather added, crashing my train of thought. The lot of us got up and strolled to the main clearing, chattering about the results.

"Congratulations, guys! I know you'll do just great," Vicky said, genuinely.

"Thanks, Vic!" Brutus and I replied, together.

"So, Pepper, do you know who you have to train choreography with?" Lecty asked.

"You know, I don't know yet. I'll ask Dad tonight before I go to my human home," I replied. We walked the rest of the way mostly silently. When we got there, we were bombarded with questions. In the mix, all I heard was who's, what's, where's and how's. I'm sure there were some when's and why's in there, but I didn't hear them.

"We can't tell you. So, stop asking," Plato said. He looked like he was getting very annoyed, very fast. All the kittens clamped their mouths shut. "Thank you," Plato said, smiling.

"So, who's up for a game of Freeze Tag?" Addie asked. _Addie?! Wow, Lecty's really getting him out of his shell._ And thus, Freeze Tag ensued. We played queens versus toms, this time. Queens won, of course. We played several games of Freeze Tag, but then it was sunset.

"Victoria and Admetus, come home now!" Uncle Tugger shouted. Similar calls went out for all the kittens. Jem and I walked home in basically silence. When we got there, I went to find my father.

"Dad, who do I go to for dance training?" I asked him.

"Your mother will be teaching you the dances. I will be teaching Tumblebrutus his. After a week and a half, we'll start having joint practices so you two can practice together," he replied.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm going to my human home. I'll see you tomorrow, Dad. I love you," I said to him. He gave me a hug and bid me goodnight, as did the rest of my family. As I left the Junkyard, I couldn't help but think about what lay ahead. I had a rather peaceful journey, and my human was already home when I reached the house. I jumped in through the dog-flap and ran to her room. I jumped on her bed, and went to sleep, dreaming of the future.

A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short, but I felt this was an appropriate way to end it. Though, I don't much like this one either… I promise to try and make the next chapter longer. PLEASE, review and tell me what you think. I open constructive criticism with open arms!


	13. Author's Note

I know this isn't something a reader likes to read, but I'm going to tell you anyway. All of my stories are currently on hiatus, because I'm incredibly busy. I have a performance in three days, and I leave for State in four. Also, I've been working on my Theatre's Haunted House for the past three days. So, I have little free time in which to write. I apologize for this, but I feel it's best this way. I'll update as soon as I can. :]


	14. Update: April 29, 2010

Author's notice, March 4, 2010: I apologize for taking so long to update. I promise I'll get to work shortly and continue my stories. But first, I'm going to go back through all the chapters and do some revising and editing. This way, I can improve on what's already been done, and I can get a feel of where I left off, all at the same time! If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know in either a review or a private message! I look forward to getting back to writing!

Oh, and one more thing. I've changed my pen-name from Jellicle-Wishes to BreakBeauty. Hope I don't cause too much confusion! :]

UPDATE, APRIL 29, 2010: Okay, so, I got distracted from writing. That's really the only reason I have for you, is that, I just got distracted from writing. I have TONS of free time, so I'm gonna try and start writing, but, I have issues keeping on task most of the time, so, bear with me please. I've decided to skip the editing until I finish the stories, but, I do plan to go back and read them all so I remember what I wrote, haha. Anyway, off to trudge through my writings once more! :D


	15. Update: July 05, 2010

New update, July 5, 2010.

Alright, so I realize that about four months ago I told you I would start working again. Well, obviously, I didn't. So, I'm going to do a lot of editing on this, because at this point, it kinda sucks. I may go back later and do a major rewrite, try to make it longer and a lot better.

And if I get to a point where I'm not updating, seriously, someone give me a kick in the pants. I'll need it, I almost guarantee.

So, to those of you who have stayed faithful to this and still care, I promise, I'll be working hard.

Sincerely,  
BreakBeauty


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